In which a group of graying eternal amateurs discuss their passions, interests and obsessions, among them: movies, art, politics, evolutionary biology, taxes, writing, computers, these kids these days, and lousy educations.

Michael - Nice reminder about Leigh Brackett. A number of movie buffs knew about her because of her contributions to "Empire Strikes Back," and also such films as "The Big Sleep," "Rio Bravo," and "The Long Goodbye." Wikipedia has a pretty good summary of her career.

I think that a lot of her pulp-fiction, as is also the case with Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars and Venus stories, have been displaced by Star Wars influenced novels, and by the fantasy stuff that his displaced a lot of other sci fi. Some of these novels might be a good source for sci fi movie screenplays, but the originals probably won't interest contemporary readers.

I think some of the work of writers like C. L. Moore holds up better than Brackett's stuff, especially Moore's Northwest Smith stories. I recently heard a dramatization of the intense short story Shambleau on BBC7 radio (and this may pop up again on BBC Radio's streaming site for those interested). Some of Moore's and Brackett's work might be available as MP3s or audiobooks at some old time radio or science fiction sites.

I enjoyed your rewind piece on Frank Llyod Wright. I have been fortunate to be able to tour some of Wright's LA Hollyhock House as well as the Pasadena area homes you write about. I agree that Wright's stuff is beautiful but "absurd as buildings." On the other hand, the Greene and Greene stuff bores me to tears. Some Pasadena bungalow style properties are being demolished because they are old, moldy and uncomfortable. Unfortunately they are too often being replaced by anonymous boxes.

My immediate chemical reaction to the eagle "taking" the roe deer, before any thought could set in: shame/humiliation. Maybe it had to do with the flushing of the roe for sport. Maybe it was something deeper. I don't know. I think that if I had seen the eagle taking the roe in nature, as part of its natural hunting life, my reaction would have been different. But maybe not. Even in that circumstance I think it might be unnerving to witness.
I'm not anti-hunting. Not at all. But this. I don't know. It threw me.

Posted by: ricpic on August 10, 2007 6:15 PM

Michael - Appropos of blogging, did you catch this recent reference to blog site names at Slate Magazine ("Good, Bad, and Ugly Things to Name Your Blog")?